The War in His Home
by BaileyFPeriod6
Summary: The Vietnam War was the first televised war and the average age men were drafted at was nineteen. Margaret Carter finds her husband and her brother-in-law on the screen in her house in Washington in the US. Margaret prays for her family while they are in combat and Robert prays to get back to his wife while Robert and Jack's parents pray that Jack will be the one to come home.
1. Chapter One

Margaret Carter, age 25

Dear diary,

Blood is spattered, soldiers down. I have never seen something so dreadful in all my life. This is the first war that has been aired on television.

One of the worst parts about this situation is that it is not only valiant soldiers who are losing their lives in Vietnam; children are not excluded.

My younger sister, Madeline, is living with me and my husband Robert. Madeline recently turned eighteen. She yearns to be independent, she dreams of living on her own, but that is not plausible until she learns to take care of herself. Mother and Father wish for Madeline to marry though Maddie is not fond of the idea.

The three of us visit with my parents and brother, William, when the opportunity presents itself; which is rarely. We live in a small house in Washington. Actually right now it is just my sister and myself. My husband was drafted into the war about two years ago along with his brother, Jack.

In 1957, only a decade ago, the Vietminh opted for guerilla warfare against South Vietnam. Two years later some of our advisors were killed. Not terrible long after that, President Kennedy gave extra aid to South Vietnam. Five years past this one, the American troops in combat nearly doubled.

My sister and I do not watch this terrifying sight on the television when the chance rolls around.

Some say the war will last for years, decades even, but for my husband, my brother-in-law, and everyone else's sakes, I hope that is not going to be the case.

Until next time,

Margaret Carter


	2. Chapter Two

Robert Carter, age 26

I hate myself for thinking this, but every human life taken means I am one step closer to getting out of this hellhole. Well, that's until they send more troops. My friend Edmund Mason is more excited to get out of here. Charles Montgomery is pretty neutral in the situation. He does not want to kill people who are or are not involved in this, but clearly does not want to stay. John Wilson is a closed book. There is no way to know what he is thinking; he keeps to himself. And then there is my brother Jack. He never wanted to be here in the first place. He was drafted alongside John, myself, and quite a few other men.

I look over at my brother when I have a chance back at the camp. His sandy hair is disheveled and there is dirt on his cheeks. Jack is the average age in which men are drafted into this war. Nineteen.

Mother and Father send me letters, and I read them when I can. They are practically begging me to keep him safe. I feel as his older brother I am obligated to do so. Okay, I don't feel obligated because I do love him, but I feel more… under pressure when I am asked by our parents to keep him safe. That bothers me in a way. Yes, I will do everything in my power to keep Jack breathing, but what about myself? Jack is nineteen as I am twenty-six. I have a wife and her sister to take care of at home.

Do my mother and father ask Jack to keep an eye out for me? Of course they don't. I'm not surprised, he always was the favorite out of the two of us boys. Our sisters are by far the favorites, but Jack is the baby.

Edmund interrupts my thoughts when he calls me over.

"What is it?"

"Did you hear? We are going to be a part of 'Operation Swift' in a while." I sigh. This is our search and destroy mission.

"Lovely." It is the only word that comes to mind, so it pops out of my mouth. I sigh again.

"I know you want out, Robert," We all turn to the voice that belongs to John. He is often so quiet we forget what his voice sounds like. It is in the higher range of men. "I want to go home, too."

"Well we have to go out there and beat those Vietnamese," Edmund shouts. A few soldiers shoot him looks, but the rest of us remain silent. Jack walks over and flanks my left.

I sigh again and tell them I will be back shortly.

I pull out a piece of paper and a pen. The white is smeared with brown and the ink has almost run out, but I write with whatever little ink I obtain to my wife who must be wondering what is going on. I would like to know too. I tell her how I have been doing, but omit the parts about the battered bodies and lifeless children and citizens there are. She already sees that on television.

What is the effect of this? Why should this be televised? It only sets the image that we are all monsters in people's minds. That is not what I want my wife to think of me as. This is not what I want anyone to think of me as.


	3. Chapter Three

Margaret Carter, age 25

"Margaret! We have a letter from Robert!" My sister exclaims. I turn with swift movements and animated expressions.

"Well open it, Maddie dear! What is the date written?" Madeline tears open the envelope and the pulls out the sheet of paper. She opens it and her eyes skirt the page for the date.

"August 13th." My face falls slightly. It has been three weeks. It is not uncommon for it to take this long to receive his letters.

"Read it," I order her.

"It says, _Dearest Margaret and Madeline. We have been sent on a new mission. The Swift Operation. We will participate in a search and destroy mission in Que Son Valley. I hope you do not set your sights on watching this, any of this really. We have lost over 200,000 troops already and are forced to lose more before we get to be relieved of this job. I'm sorry this is taking so long. Every night I think of you and Maddie._

"_I know that you are wondering, so I am glad to tell you that Jack is fine. I have come to the conclusion he is already suffering from PTSD, but who isn't?_

"_I love both of you girls and I hope to come home soon. Keep me updated from home. Once again, I love you. Robert."_

I exhale and blink a few times to let it all sink in.

"You aren't thinking of watching the Swift operation, are you?" Maddie asks.

"As much as I don't want to, Maddie, what if I get the chance to see Robert again?"

"What is they don't show him at all? What would be the point? You will only scare yourself further." I sigh as I look at my sister. She doesn't understand the power of love as well as I do. I need to make sure that Robert will be all right. I guess watching this, even to see a glimpse of this, is just a risk I am willing to take.


	4. Chapter Four

Robert Carter, age 26

A few people, just over one hundred, were US troops that were killed in action. Charles was one of them. Operation Swift started on September 4th and ended eleven days later. They say almost four hundred Vietnamese were killed.

I was shot in the shoulder and am lucky enough to still be here. The medics are busy, no surprise there. It felt like an eternity waiting for any medical attention I could get.

We were gone for twelve days. The first thing I do when I can is check to see if I have any mail waiting. Did Margaret write back?

My strides are long, tiring, and painful when I make my way over to John who is looking at the mail.

"Here you go, Robert," he says. John has a knack for reading people. He knows when they're hurt or upset or need someone to talk to. And besides Jack, he is the only one who calls me by my first name.

"Thanks John." He nods silently and depressingly as he hands me the letter. I sit a few feet away from him on the ground, and I open my letter.

_Dear Robert,_

_I hope you are fine. I see 'Operation Swift' has been a success for you, at least._

_Our family is doing just fine and we miss you and Jack dearly. We pray every morning and every night. Tell me, how Edmund, Charles, and John are doing. What are you up to?_ _Take that in as many meanings as you may._

_Sorry this letter is short, I don't know what to write. Ask me questions and I will answer them. I love you,_

_Margaret_

I fold the letter the way she had and guide it back into its envelope. I walk over to the bag where I store all of her letters and gently place it with the others and wait for the next letter in a couple of weeks.


	5. Chapter Five

Margaret Carter, age 25

It has been months. In October, they took place in 'Operation Medina' which was also a search and destroy. On the seventeenth, the "Black Lions" ambushed and were rid of by the NFL of South Vietnam. The Americans were outnumbered 10-to-1.

There was a series of major battles in early November at the Central Highlands of South Vietnam. That was what was aired then.

December brought The Battle of Tam Quan. It was a two week battle in which the American 8th Calvary, and others, interrupted the 7th and 8th battalions of the 22nd NVA Regiment.

On January 1, 1968, the Vietnamese violated the New Year's truce. More trouble emerged throughout the month. Fight after fight, one miniature war after another, month after month. It seems hopeless. I hope that this will come to a close. So many from both sides, and allies, have passed on.

I am glad to know that my husband and brother-in-law are still breathing.

Maddie has taken up the hobby of quilting. She wants to send quilts to Robert, Jack, and their friends. I guess only Edmund and John are left. I was sorry to hear about Charles, he was a good man, and a valiant fighter.

We don't see our parents or brother as much as we'd like, but we all have dinner together every Friday night. On other nights, I will help my mother-in-law Edith as much as possible by making dinner with her, which I will eat with her, my father-in-law Sam, and my sisters-in-law Rebecca and Emma. Their husbands Eric and Peter, and their children join us.

When I am visiting my in-laws, we watch and update before dinner and the following week we get it after dinner. We don't know which is better, to lose our appetites or lose our dinner, so we alternate every other week.

The volume will be low and we do not pay much mind to the screen unless we see someone we might know.

And like I told Robert letters ago, we pray every night. Now it is before and after dinner.


	6. Chapter Six

Robert Carter, age 27

I have surpassed my birthday, which was days ago. Maddie sent me a quilt that will never not be used here.

_Ugh_, I think. _You don't have time to think about that_. It is February 14th and I am in the middle of shooting down as many enemies as possible.

I shoot in front of me swiveling around in forty-five degree angles. I see, if I take a sharp left, I see John.

Slowly I begin to back up and move closer to him. John is approximately twenty-five yards away. When I can, I look over to see him. He jolts backwards. I don't have time to stop in confusion, but I can't drop everything in the middle of this situation.

John tries to sit up, but when the enemies fire, he is shot down again. I almost scream his name, but I refrain.

I want to help him, he could still be alive. Instead I see another figure go to help. He attempts to lift John, but John's body is limp. He is already gone. I want to scream, but screaming won't do anyone any good.

All I can do is blink a few times; blink the tears away. The man helping John is hot too. He collapses near John's body. I recognize this comrade all too well. His name is Jack Carter.


	7. Chapter Seven

Margaret Carter, age 26

A while back, Robert wrote me that both John and Jack were killed in action. I shook my head sorrowfully and cried. I had a hard time telling Edith and Sam. They didn't take it well either.

That was months ago.

Basically after the departure of the two great men, Vietnamese and American troops alike were slaughtered. What else happens in war? Robert is fine and so is Edmund. Edmund has become more… careful and less enthusiastic about the war. He now knows what it is like to lose three friends because of the inability to solve conflicts peacefully.

Clark Clifford persuaded the president to send over 20,000 more US troops.

On May thirteenth, US and Vietnam delegations met at the Paris Peace talks and agreed upon the removal of US troops.

And on October thirty-first, President Johnson announced the complete stop of the American troops bombing the North Vietnamese.

Two major events happened in early November this year as well. The first was that Operation Rolling Thunder ended. The second was that Richard Nixon won the presidential election. Forty-three point four percent of votes went to him.

Another year has passed and thousands of people have passed as well, but one announcement from President Nixon and a letter from Robert has given me more joy than I have ever felt in my twenty-six years.


	8. Chapter Eight

Madeline Farmer, age 20

I was spending my time quilting when we received the letter in the mail. My sister retrieved it and after reading it, began fanning her face with hands whilst jumping up and down.

"Are you all right, Margaret? Do you feel faint?" She shook her head.

"It's Robert!" And she thrust the letter in my hands.

_Dear Margaret and Madeline,_

_I miss you both so much! And William and my parents, sisters, brothers-in-law, and nieces and nephews. It's a good thing I will be returning home soon. President Nixon announced that he will be sending many of the US troops home. I am fortunate enough to be one of them. Edmund will be escorting me. As it turns out, he doesn't live all that far from us, only a few towns over and he is extraordinarily excited to meet all of you._

_I can't wait for this war to be over! I believe it was never in our best interest to partake in this civil war. That was not our fight that we should have fought. I have heard many people say, on both sides of the conflict. Many actually were North Vietnamese shouting things at us from across the battle field, but some do think it was a justifiable war. It was meant to cease the spread of communism. Others say it was a bloody massacre of people and never should have been fought. It is a waste of human lives._

_Anyways, I hope to see you shortly. I love you both so much._

_Love always,_

_Robert E. Carter_

"Can you believe it, Maddie? Robert is coming home! He's coming home!" Margaret leaps into my arms wrapping hers tightly around my neck. I awkwardly pat her back.

"He's coming home!" _Finally_.


	9. Chapter Nine: Epilogue

Robert Carter, age 33

It is 1975 and the Vietnam War has come to a close. I have no words for my relief. In 1972, the North Vietnamese crossed the DMZ at the seventeenth parallel to attack South Vietnam. This is known as the Easter Offensive. In 1973, the Paris Peace Accords were signed and created a cease-fire. To my happiness, the last of the US troops were removed from the situation as well. This past March, the North Vietnamese launched a huge attack on the South, and in April, the South surrendered.

Now the month is August and my lovely wife has given birth to our first child, a boy we decided to name John Charles Jackson Carter in honor of my legendary friends and younger brother. Speaking of friends, it appears that Edmund has taken a liking to Maddie. I cannot wait to see how that turns out, personally.

I know that with all of the events the Vietnam War caused, I would have more to say, but I honestly have no words to describe the horror I lived in those years. The terrible civil war that the US troops had no right being involved in. All it was was a bunch of killing and fighting. That is what war is made up of after all.


	10. Works Consulted

Works Consulted

. N.p., 2014. Web. 06 May 2014. .fm/music/Paul+Hardcastle/_/19.

Shmoop Editorial Team. "The Vietnam War Timeline of Important Dates.". Shmoop

University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 06 May 2014. vietnam-

"Vietnam War Timeline." _ 20th Century History_. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 May 2014.


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